Cuetzalan del Progreso

Cuetzalan wakes up every day with the haze that emerges from the Sierra Norte de Puebla, with cobbled streets, houses with gable roofs and the peace of a town that is perfect for photographing. Its name is interpreted as the "place where red birds abound".

Its inhabitants, proud of their ancestors, are perpetuators of the art of embroidery and loom ... They combine their activities with the tourist attention that demands to be one of the spoiled Magical Towns of Mexico.

The cobblestone streets with slopes invite you to visit them slowly, enjoying the picturesque landscape. Its historical center allows you to admire 19th century Spanish-style temples and mansions, included in the Monuments Catalog prepared by the National Institute of Anthropology and History (INAH).

Visit the Calmahuistic Ethnographic Museum, where typical objects from the region are exhibited, such as: costumes, crafts and archaeological pieces from the Yohualichan site.

Cuetzalan is also rich in craftsmanship and highlights, made in waist loom, huipiles, rebozos, blouses, scarves, dresses, backpacks and tablecloths.

Their embroidered huipiles are part of artisan collections in various national museums, and as a curious note, it is the dress of the woman from Cuetzalan that represented the state of Puebla in the monographs on Mexican costumes for several decades, with her huipil and her singular touched in the head.

Another fact worth sharing: a large number of the inhabitants of Cuetzalan preserve their indigenous way of life, their indigenous radio being one of their main means of communication.

Already in the area, seven kilometers away, you will find the archaeological zone of Yohualichan, which was inhabited by Otomi and Totonac groups and which, it is thought, were the same ones that built El Tajín in the state of Veracruz.

If you like exploration, go to the Cuichatl lakes, where you can swim; surprise yourself also with an ample system of caverns, of which it emphasizes the grotto of the Chivostoc or the Amocuali, that is to say, of the Devil.

Cuetzalan, a place that caresses the soul and was recognized in 2002 as Magic Town, and for your delight, is less than two hours from the city of Puebla!

What to Visit?

Saint Francis Assisi Parish Built in the 17th century, and restored in the 19th century, this is one of the most representative buildings of this Magic Town.

Guadalupe Sanctuary It is also known as the "church of the small jugs," since its tower is decorated precisely with clay jugs.

Cultural Center This building houses a museum, a public library, and also the municipal archive.

Town hall Built in 1939, this building features a neoclassic style.

What to do?

Huipil Fair It takes place on October 4th each year to display the many models of this regional garment. There are traditional music and dances, and also a queen is selected among the indigenous girls of this area.

Typical Food

Mole sauce Delicious sauce prepared with different kinds of chili, peanuts and, even, chocolate. This unique sauce is served on top of rice and chicken or turkey meat.

Bean Tamales Corn dough mixed with lard and beans, and stuffed with pork meat or other kind of meat in a spicy green or red sauce, and finally wrapped up with corn leaves or banana leaves to be steamed.

Smoked Cecina Smoked Jerky beef.

Tejocote candies Tejocote is a small yellow fruit barely sweet.

Xoco atol Beverage made with fermented corn.

Coffee liquor

What to Know?

Its name is composed by two Nahuatl words –quetzalli, which refers to the beautiful Mesoamerican bird quetzal, and by the suffix lan, which means "close to." Hence, the composed word means "Close to the quetzals."

In the pre-Hispanic era, this bird used to live in this area; however, the Aztec emperor Moctezuma II appreciated so much its feathers, that the quetzal disappeared finally in this region.

On October 4th, 1986, this village was granted officially with the title of Town.

Renowned Individuals:

Carlos García y Arriaga Bocanegra (1778 – 1839) First Governor of the state of Puebla.